format_quote Originally Posted by
Fishman
:sl:
So you mean to say that a Muslim can return a converted Church to Christianity, but a Christian can never return a converted Mosque to Islam, or even acknowledge the fact that Muslims built it by offering part of it as a Mosque?
hola
i could not imagine a circumstance in which muslims would willingly return a former Church building to the Church, in the event such a thing happened the building would need to be reconsecrated... that would make it a Church again, and that would allow worship, sacrements to be performed and services offered.
on the flip side, a Church building must be deconsecrated before it can be used for a non Catholic (called 'profane') purpose. after it is deconsecrated the fate of the Church building (no longer a Church) is up to the owner. so it is possible for a former Church building to become a mosque, ice cream store or apartment building. deconsecrated Churches cannot be used for Church services, worship, sacrements et cetera.
there is no circumstance in which a consecrated Church can be used for a non Catholic (profane) purpose. nor is there any circumstance in which sacrements could be offered in a deconsecrated space. because of this there is no circumstance in which you would see Mass offered alongside Salat prayers, in a designated sacred building, ever.
it
may be
possible to do what amounts to a 'trade' through the deconsecration of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin and the consecration of Hagia Sofia... but i could not imagine that any bishop would ever elect to do such a thing. it is certainly impossible to share a sacred space... even if by invitation of the muslims to share hagia sophia.
here is a link to the relevant Canon law.
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P4H.HTM
That isn't really very fair, is it?
:w:
fairness, like 'multiculturalism' is a secular moral... we have Canon laws and morals which sometimes conflict with these secular beliefs. our beliefs against homosexuality are one example, this issue of 'sharing' a consecrated space is another issue.
in this instance i see it is the peculiar scenario of a muslim inviting us to share a cathedral against our religious laws... and unnecessarily opening up old wounds. i find that very inappropriate, they should not have made such a request.
que Dios te bendiga